The Save the American River Parkway Association celebrated its 50th anniversary this month and received a resolution from the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors honoring its accomplishments over the past five decades. “We commend the work that a whole host of folks (at the association) have done in providing a strong voice for a precious resource,” Supervisor Don Nottoli said Tuesday as he presented the resolution. The Save the American River Association is a volunteer, nonprofit group of more than 600 members and a Board of Directors that started in 1961 to develop the American River Parkway and to create a plan to maintain it. The 23-mile American River Parkway hosts more than 5 m

Following the hot summer months of pilsners, pale ales, IPAs and golden ales, beer lovers are now preparing their palates for the tastes of fall and winter ales. This weekend, local beer enthusiasts will come together for a late summer afternoon of drinking great beer, fundraising for charity and enjoying Sacramento’s picturesque river views. From 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. this Saturday, Sept. 17, Discovery Park will host the 17th Annual California Brewers Festival. The Saturday afternoon event is the perfect way to prepare for Oktoberfest and the beautiful canopy of trees at Discovery Park will surely be the perfect setting. The day’s activities, besides beer tasting, will include food venders, l

Volunteers will get down and dirty at the annual Great American River Cleanup on Saturday, Sept. 17. From the parking lot to the riverbanks to the riverbed, people will donate their time to collect thousands of pounds of trash along the parkway. Volunteers can choose from 20 sites that the American River Parkway Foundation (ARPF) has designated for the annual cleanup, from Discovery Park to Paradise Beach. The cleanup, scheduled from 9 a.m. to noon, is set to clear out garbage from the parkway areas as well as debris in the river that allows pollutants to enter the watershed and harm wildlife. “It’s a full-fledged, shoulder-to-shoulder effort,” said Stacy Springer, volunteer manager and

Sacramento Ca.- 4:21pm, Sacramento Metro Fire water rescue teams were dispatched to the report of two people, a 38-year old female and a 10-year old male, stranded in shallow water on the high-flowing American River. Fire crews quickly responded to the area and found the two standing in shallow, swift-moving water. They were assisted into the rescue boat and returned uninjured to shore. The pair said they were part of a three-raft flotilla, all tied together, when the raft's tie rope became entangled in a bridge abutment and they had to cut free. Once freed, the raft soon became caught in tree branches downriver, which they clung to fighting the strong current. They abandoned their boat an

Feel like I still live in Washington state with all this rain. So I did what comes naturally to me and took a trip along the rivers to see what havoc the wind and rain have created. Headed east on Hwy 50 to end up at Folsom Dam. The rain was coming down hard as I drove by it. Water was pouring into the American River from Folsom Lake. Then I shot over to Sunrise Blvd and took the American River Access to get next to the river. A few people were braving the rain. A woman below paused to look at the river as she crossed the foot bridge at 11:04am (below.) Next I headed to River Bend Park, hoping to drive to the river but access was closed. It was pouring and I didn't feel like getting col

Major changes are in store for the city’s River District, as the Sacramento City Council approved a set of future development plans Tuesday night. The planning documents set a path for development of the area over the next 25 years, according to a report from city staff. The city’s plans for the River District, a 773-acre swath between the Sacramento Railyards and the American River, focus on ramping up residential, commercial, office and hotel development and moving away from industrial development. Council members approved the plans in a 8-0 vote. Mayor Kevin Johnson did not attend the City Council meeting because he was out of town, said Johnson spokesman Joaquin McPeek. The city wan

The steelhead trout and Chinook salmon of the American River have the Bureau of Reclamation to thank for restoring more than 15,000 tons of gravel to increase spawning habitats. A popular spawning site along a two-mile stretch of river below the Nimbus Dam had become too shallow to allow the fish to properly reproduce. “Space was limited. Eggs were laid on top of other eggs. Survival was not what it could be,” said Bureau of Reclamation Fisheries Biologist John Hannon. With the Nimbus Dam blocking downstream flow, Hannon said the good spawning gravel was being carried away by the current without being replenished. Gold mining in the 1800s had left many of the river’s side channels dried

Sacramento rolled up its sleeves and filled trash bags Saturday for the 16th annual Great American River Clean Up led by the American River Parkway Foundation. More than 2,000 people volunteered their time to clear 11,361 pounds of trash and 7,002 pounds of recyclables from 22 waterfront sites. About 47 miles of waterfront were cleaned, including high-traffic sites such as River Bend Park and Discovery Park. The cleanup coincided with California Coastal Cleanup Day, an annual statewide effort led by the California Coastal Commission that has about 80,000 volunteers annually. Sacramento’s participation has nearly doubled since last year. At William B. Pond Park in Carmichael, about 180 vo

The city of Sacramento's Preservation Commission on Wednesday got the first look at a draft of the new plan intended to guide redevelopment of the River District north of the central city. Commission members gave the first round of feedback Wednesday evening to the city's Community Development and Economic Development departments, which led the multi-department project encompassing about three years of work. The draft River District Specific Plan was unveiled online last week. Commissioners were concerned with proposals to allow 250-foot hotels along the Sacramento River, demolishing the state's printing plant building without exploring its historic landmark eligibility and the need to c

The city celebrated an important reconnection to the Sacramento River Wednesday with the grand opening of the Docks Riverfront Promenade. More than 100 people — from cyclists and dog walkers to the city staff and contractors who made it happen — converged on the sunny, tree-lined promenade overlooking the green river to mark the completion of the parkway's $5.4 million first phase. Many rode a California State Railroad Museum train along its relocated track from Old Sacramento to the new Pioneer Landing Park, where the celebration began. The promenade and park, with its landscaped public plaza and giant water sculpture, were built to stimulate redevelopment of an old industrial brownfiel

The Urban Design Alliance's Design Dialogue made two things clear Wednesday night: A consensus is growing, at least among planners, that the time has come to turn the waterfront into a regional destination, but that won't be a quick, easy task for either side of the Sacramento River. Attitudes toward the riverfront have begun to change. It's only been in the last 10 to 15 years that the community has begun to see the waterfront as a desirable place to be, said Rachel Hazelwood, a senior planner with the city of Sacramento. But a fairly negative image of the rivers still presents one of the biggest challenges to change. While the confluence of the Sacramento and American rivers is one of

A diverse crowd of people gathered in Old Sacramento on Thursday to celebrate Earth Day and the Grand Opening of Practical Cycle. Riders of all ages and from all walks of life were drawn together to be a part of the first annual "Ride for Earth." With a diverse crowd of people came a diverse crowd of bikes! Many riders brought their own bikes, and Practical Cycle let out its entire rental fleet of Made in USA and Electric bicycles and tricycles for free. There was even a Velocab and a high-wheeler replica! The ride followed the Sacramento River to its confluence with the American River in Discovery Park. Afterwards, fresh-squeezed organic lemonade that was delivered by an old Worksman tr

Citizens advocacy group Friends of the Swainson's Hawk on Saturday hosted "Return of the Swainson's Hawk," presented by the California Raptor Center. People at Sutter Landing Park were treated to an up-close encounter with Swainson's hawks Grasshopper and Evie. The event was held at the park because members of Friends of the River discovered a Swainson's hawk nesting site close by. After a presentation by the California Raptor Center, people were led on a nature walk along the American River during which relevant nature sites were pointed out and discussed. Swainson's hawks are "listed as threatened by the state," said Judith Lamare, president of Friends of the Swainson's Hawk. "The Sacr

 The Effie Yeaw Nature Center, a 77-acre natural habitat preserve and learning center in Carmichael, faces possible closure. The preserve is making the transition from being run by Sacramento County to being run by nonprofit organization, the American River Natural History Association (ARNHA), which currently is the center's second largest contributor, behind the county. However, the state budget may not cover expenses for the transition period, which could take years, park employees say. If the center does not get the funding it needs while the ARNHA prepares to take total responsibility, it may have to close its doors indefinitely. Effie Yeaw was a kindergarten teacher who led explorat

Sacramento- When firefighters arrived at Discovery Park Sunday afternoon, Buddy was on a small piece of beach surrounded by water on one side and a dirt wall on the other, with no way out; whimpering and whining, looking up at everyone staring down as if to say, "don't just look at me, get me out of here." Sacramento Fire Department's Engine 14 and Rescue 20 responded to Discovery Park Sunday afternoon for the rescue. Buddy, a 9 year old Wiemaraner, was with his owner for a Sunday walk in Discovery Park. Wiemaraners are known for their hunting and love of water. Buddy, took off for the water and jumped about 10 feet down to the river. His K9 senses weren't calculating "how am I going to

18 year old George Ho went under the water and never surfaced at Tiscornia Beach in Discovery Park Sunday afternoon at the confluence. Jim Doucette of the Sacramento Fire Department,stated "at 2:54 PM, we responded to the beach at Discovery Park for an 18 year old male that went under and never surfaced." "Ho and his friends were swimming about 25 yards off shore. Some boats came by, created a wake, he went under and never came up" said Doucette. This occurred right where the Sacramento River and American River meet, the area known as The Confluence. Doucette stated that it is very deep there with a lot of logs and rocks. He further stated that in the past an abandon car had been found

 Sacramento Police are investigating after the body of a homeless person was discovered Wednesday morning behind a levee near 16th and North C streets. He was described as a white male in his 30s, and appears to have sustained injuries. Homicide detectives have been called to the scene, said Sgt. Norm Leong. The man was identified as a transient by a police officer who has been assigned to work with the homeless. The body was found behind a levee near Capitol Casino, 411 N 16th St., and reported to police at 7:56 a.m., he said. The area where the body was found is located between a former Tent City near the American River and several nonprofits that serve the homeless and the poor.

Unseasonable rain showers have kept maypole dancing to a minimum for the first few days of May.  But longtime dwellers of the Central Valley know to keep their shorts and tank tops handy. It is going to be scorching hot soon.  Spring is effectively over.  Like a clock-watcher at the end of her work shift, spring is so out of here the moment the summer sun arrives, and nobody is going to see her mild days and chilly nights again until 2010. So forget looking up at the cloudy skies.  Look down on the ground.  Wildflowers -- or weeds, if you please -- tell us that summer is coming.  If you've done any crawling around in the grass in the last week or two, you'll have noticed that most wildfl

Is it really? Apparently, many dog owners seem to think so. I love dogs, and have two precious rescues of my own. They are wonderful companions, though not without their quirks – and as much as we train them – they’re still dogs, and in this instance, like people, they often times have a mind of their own. They like some dogs, and not others - they like some toys, and not others. They uniformly chase squirrels and ducks, and sniff things I couldn’t (and wouldn’t want to) imagine. They each have their own personality, their own likes and dislikes, and while we’d love dogs that always listened to us, we respect their individual personalities, and within limits, like to let dogs be dogs. Wit

"2009 rafting flows confirmed!" The American River website (www.theamericanriver.com) boasted the good news on Sat. March 7 following a storm that dropped enough presipitation to guarantee a full and fun-filled whitewater rafting season through the 2009 summer. This is exciting news for thrill-seekers, water sport enthusiasts, and rafting guides (such as myself) alike. The South Fork of the American River is the most rafted river in California, with hundreds of people boating down the Class II and Class III rapids on any given weekend throughout the summer months. It is the historical site of James Marshall's discovery of gold that led to the "Gold Rush" and the eventual statehood of Cal